masculinism and the ‘f’ word: a terrifying tale in modern discourse

10 July 2014

When faced with this term, several questions spring to the feminist mind; is masculinism the countermovement to feminism? Is it pure misogyny? Or, is it simply a glorious celebration of what it is to be a man?

In an article written in 2012 by Melissa Blais & Frances Dupuis-Deri titled Masculinism and the Antifeminist Countermovement, masculinism can be characterised by ‘its focus on masculinity and the place of white heterosexual men in North American and European societies.’ It also addresses the social ramifications of feminism and the ‘alleged domination of women in both the public and private spheres.’

My exposure to masculinism was through Triple J’s Sunday Night Safran radio program on 24 March 2014. A member of the International Association of Masculinists and proud misogynist Aoirthoir An Broc spoke to Jonathan Safran and Father Bob Maguire about the masculinist movement.

‘We call all men masculinists,’ says An Broc, ‘a masculinist is any born male who identifies as a man and makes the statement “I am a masculinist”.’

An Broc is an Orthodox Masculinist. An international movement, Orthodox Masculinism has 33 factions, each with their own values that sit within the broader framework of masculinism. There are warrior factions, 1950s factions, Christian factions and Atheist factions, just to name a few.

Member of the Pagan faction called The Cult of the Masculinist, An Broc explains that the cult’s principles are based on Pagan values and act to provide support to other masculinists in a ‘religious and spiritual context.’

When Safran asks An Broc “so what’s the beef with feminism?” An Broc breaks it down to two main points:

Point one: Feminism makes women victims

An Broc thinks that rather than empowering women, feminism has turned women into victims, particularly in the context of rape ‘when a feminist says something ridiculous like “don’t teach me how not to be raped, teach rapists not to rape”, well, clearly that’s not going to prevent a rapist from raping.’

Point two: Feminism is constant misandry

An Broc claims that feminism has an inherent misandry (the hatred of men) and that it perpetuates the idea that ‘all men are rapists, all men are wicked and there’s this big evil patriarchy which never existed in history…feminism tends to demonise all men and holds all men guilty for the crimes of a few.’

Alternatively he believes in a concept called ‘feminin-ism’, a novel idea of a woman who identifies as a feminist but wants to know how to protect herself.

Is this implying that feminists are by default, victims of the supposed non-existent patriarchal framework that An Broc describes earlier? Also, if there is no threat to the female feminist, why does she need to know how to protect herself?

When questioned whether he was happy about social progress, particularly in regards to women in the work force, An Broc answers ‘is it progress to have a bunch of women working at Wal-mart, in factories where they are miserable and sweating?’

He claims that feminism has forced women into roles that have historically been reserved for men and the poorer working class. When Safran points out that this could be a repercussion of Capitalism, An Broc scoffs and says that people who would agree with that idea are ‘full of a certain something.’

At this point of the program I start to wonder, if given legs will the masculinism movement walk all over feminism? Will it stamp out any hope for gender equality and bury feminism in the cemetery of patriarchy for good?

The idea of being read my feminist burial rites by someone like An Broc urged me to learn more.

This is when I found Masculinists.net.

Masculinists.net is a website for the Orthodox Masculinist to express himself without judgement or consequence in the safety of the “manosphere”. As set out in the “Statement Oph Purpose” Masculinists.net seeks to:

‘…entitle Men through Masculinism in Orthodoxy, Masculinism in Brotherhood, Masculinism in Misogyny by providing knowledge, wisdom, tools and working solutions which help them thrive and heal in a world bent upon gynocentricism and misandry.’

The tone of the website is one saturated with aggression offering no credibility to arguments against feminism. For example, all language and discussion on the site is called “cockspeak” and the use of the letter f is also banned because of its link to words associated with women (e.g. female, feminine and feminism).

“Cockspeak” in all of its glory can be seen below:

‘You can whinge all You want here about women and vent and We won’t chastise You phor it, unlike those pussy whipped MRAs (Men’s Rights Activists). Unlike Them and stupid bitches, We understand that venting lessens violence. So in Our misogyny, We’re actually better phor bitches than the MRAnuses. Oh and you bitches can whinge all you want too, We’re not budging on this issue, We’re not giving you access. Run to your White Knight Buddies and beg Them phor access to Their sites instead. Oh wait, you already have that. So phuck ophph.’

Through my research on masculinism, I have found that any extremist view within a social movement or ideology particularly regarding issues of race, class or gender, only further drives the wedge between them.

Feminism is just as guilty. Valerie Solanas’ 1967 radical feminist manifesto The SCUM Manifesto proposes that the male sex should be eradicated from society as they have ruined the world. “SCUM” was said to stand for “Society for Cutting Up Men” which Solanas denied, in spite of it being written on the cover of a self-published edition.

It is always important to have broader discussions about the principles of any ‘ism’, creating the opportunity for equitable dialogue. I fail to see how the discourse and plight of the masculinist serves men or women in a positive way.

Generating an environment fuelled by hate will only divide us further, making any attempt at gender equality redundant for all involved.

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